CUYABENO LODGE

south-2006.1154491800.img_3011When Cuyabeno Lodge started operating in 1988, the owners believed that the rainforest traveler should be hosted in conditions, which would be both in harmony with the surrounding environment and attuned to the needs of the modern visitor. We work together with the Siona community whose members provide the canoe transportation as well as their knowledge of the jungle.
It’s the only lodge in the Laguna Grande and the first in the Cuyabeno Reserve. We started to operate together with the Siona natives. We are an ecolodge (not a camp), and we operate in harmony with the environment to cause a minimum impact due to our operation.
The Lodge provides the most comfortable and spacious independent cabins in the Cuyabeno National Wildlife Reserve.
The cabins are solidly constructed with thatched roofs and clean tiled private bathrooms with hot water showers and comfortable furniture that includes curtains and mosquito nets. Illumination in the Lodge is provided by gas lamps and solar energy in a way that the environment is not altered from its natural setting. You can also charge batteries for your cameras. We also have a small library with books about flora and fauna of the Amazon Jungle.
Adjacent to the cabins is our restaurant, which serves up delicious Ecuadorian, Siona and International cuisine. A wide range of drinks is available in the bar.

LOCATION
The Cuyabeno Lodge is located in the Cuyabeno Wildlife Reserve, an elaborate system of wild lagoons, river and flooded forest found in the North-Eastern Ecuador.
The reserve encompasses over 602.000 hectares of primary rainforest and boasts an incredible variety of Neotropical wildlife including river dolphins, tapirs, capybaras, caimans, anacondas, ocelots, monkeys and the infamous piranha.
The bird life is particularly spectacular: over 515 species have been recorded such as the prehistoric-looking hoatzin, the umbrella bird, blue headed parrot, the white eared jacamar, the scarlet macaw and the awesome harpy-eagle with its eight-food wingspan. Additionally, over 12.000 species of plants have been identified.
The Siona, Secoya and Cofan, indigenous inhabitants of the Amazon basin for thousands of years, also call Cuyabeno their ancestral homeland.
One of the best ways to explore the rainforest is by canoe and Cuyabeno with its maze of waterways provides you with ample opportunities to experience this wet and wild green world in a way that is intimate and highly rewarding.
You are guided through the forest by an indigenous guide in his canoe from the Siona Indian community, as well as a bilingual naturalist.
Activities include canoeing in motorized and dugout crafts, hiking, bird watching, night walks and swinging in a hammock.

CUYABENO RAINFOREST ADVENTURE – SAMPLE ITINERARY
Below is a 5-day sample itinerary for guests, wanting to use the Cuyabeno Lodge as their base to see the reserve.
Days can be added and itineraries/activities can be adjusted according the group interest. Families are encouraged and welcome. Special arrangements can be made for long-term visitors, student groups and researchers.

DAY 01 Quito – Lago Agrio – Rio Cuyabeno – Laguna Grande
Fly or drive over the Andes to the oil frontier town of Lago Agrio. Continue by private transportation to the entrance of the Cuyabeno Reserve, El Puente ( 2 ½ Hrs aprox.) Load your luggage onto a dug-out motorized canoe and follow the winding Cuyabeno River to Laguna Grande, the largest lagoon in the Cuyabeno Reserve and also the site of the Cuyabeno Lodge During this journey you will be able to appreciate the richness of the wildlife in Cuyabeno. You will arrive aprox. at 13OO hrs (Saturday 16.00 hrs). After lunch and a short siesta you are going to explore the lagoon and observe animals.

DAY 02
Rise at dawn to watch birds before breakfast and spot river dolphins. After breakfast have a walk through the “terra firma forest” with your naturalist guide to explore plants and wildlife. Your guide will teach you about the forest’s medicinal plants and how the forest works. After lunch and a siesta you will take a trip by dug-out canoe to the flooded igapo with macrolobium trees covered with abundant epiphytes to spot the active monkeys and birds in the afternoon. Furthermore you have the possibility of swimming and seeing the sunset. After dinner there will be a nocturnal excursion to spot caimans and nocturnal birds.

DAY 03
Optional early bird watching. After breakfast you will enjoy a rainforest walk to explore plant and wildlife, medicinal plants, and track animals. Furthermore we will go Piranha–fishing, where you will have the chance to catch your own Piranha. After dinner, you have the possibility of doing a nocturnal jungle walk with your flashlight to spot insects.

DAY 04
*After breakfast you will follow the Cuyabeno River downstream to reach the Siona Village with a picnic lunch served by our cook. You will learn something about the traditions and living habits of the indigenous community and will return to the lodge late afternoon for a siesta or a refreshing swim in the Laguna Grande.

DAY 05 Cuyabeno – Lago Agrio – Quito
Following an early breakfast journey upstream to El Puente where our vehicle will take you back to Lago Agrio. You will return to Quito either by bus or by flight.
*If you prefer a 4 days/ 3 nights tour, the tour will end on day 4 (program 4th day, see day 5)

HOW TO GET THERE
From Quito to Lago Agrio you can go by:
a) bus:
approximate time from Quito to Lago Agrio: 8 hours; costs: 8,- USD per Person.
Going by bus you can go the night before (22:00 and 23:30 hrs) or the day before. (buses every 45 minutes aprox.). The same for the return to Quito.
b) plane:
approximate time from Quito to Lago Agrio: 30 min.; costs: 122,-USD per Person (roundtrip)
Flights: Quito- Lago Agrio: Monday to Friday 6:15 hrs., Saturday 09.00
hrs and Sunday 15:15 hrs. Return Monday to Friday at 17:05 hrs, Saturday 11.30 hrs., Sunday 16:10 hrs.
In Lago Agrio you will be picked up by our driver who will bring you to El Puente (2-3 hours drive approximately); from there it is a 2-3 hours drive by canoe to the Cuyabeno Lodge.
On your last day, we will take you back to the bus station or the airport.
c)private car transport
TARIFS OF THE TOURS+ THE TRANSPORTATION MUST BE CHECK, IT COULD CHANGE WITHOUT A PRIOR NOTICE.

Our rates include:
– Return transportation Lago Agrio – Cuyabeno Lodge
– Accommodation and 3 meals per day ( including vegetarian food) at the
lodge – Coffee, tea and purified water available at all time
– Use of rain ponchos and rubber boots (up to size 44)
– Tours with bilingual-naturalist guide; accompanied in the canoe by native guides

Our rates DON’T include:
– Cuyabeno Park entrance fee (20,– USD per person)
– Tips
– Additional beverages
– Transportation Quito – Lago Agrio – Quito
For any further information that might be needed, please do not hesitate to contact us. We will be pleased to answer your questions.